The Worth of a Saiya-jin
by Magus II
Summary: Alternate future fic where - gasp! - Goku's dead! NOT Future Trunks.


Jesse Brown  
Chapter One  
  
  
  
The tall, sinister figure looked over the top of his clipboard at the containment chambers in front of him. He smiled and turned back to the computer screen behind him. He glanced at the rapidly scrolling figures and documents, research gathered over a period of nearly twenty years, technology more advanced than anything seen on earth before. He heard a high beeping noise from a computer console to his left. He looked over at it, typed a series of corrections with his left hand, and pressed the return key. He turned back to the rapidly scrolling figures that were now repeating themselves, highlighting possible weaknesses and disadvantages. He frowned as the computer returned a set of information that was irrelevant. He dumped the reports of a new heart virus' first victim; a man who had gained semi-fame as a member of the Earth Special Forces team, and was rumored to have visited outer space.   
The tall, aging man extended his prototype arm to a computer screen and smiled again as he corrected another set of equations. The new information now scrolling in from his spies gave him the answer to the problem that had been bothering him for months. He cross-referenced the new document to the others he had been researching, all involved with biotechnology. He had finally received an answer from the lab of his mentor and former associate, Dr. Willow; previous to the inexplicable disappearance of Willow's lab, he had received enough information to complete his most difficult project, the fusing of existing tissue with biotech. He stroked his prosthetic arm, and began calculating in his mind the best way to provide energy for his creations.   
Then, with a sigh, silently and calmly cursing the limitations of his physical body, the master of the former Red Ribbon Army, Dr. Gero, stopped all of the documents from scrolling on his screen and activated the conveyor belt that took him to the small cot that was wedged between his prototype capsules, which held the numbers 19 and 20 engraved on their clear glass outsides.   
One held a fat, white-skinned prototype; the other held a half-formed collection of prostheses. Dr. Gero smiled and stroked the capsule labeled 20. His last thought before sleeping was of himself, in a perfect android body, destroying the one who had destroyed his life so many years before…  
  
Chapter Two  
  
The funeral was brief. Kami-sama himself gave the eulogy; it was an unexpected honor. The fourth Dragon Ball lay on top of the man, over the left side of his chest, the target of the disease that had killed him. The Dragon Ball was the one that the man had guarded since his grandfather died, hidden in a shrine in the mountains before a teenage girl awakened a spirit of amazing strength.   
The pallbearers picked up the coffin silently. All wore black; all had known the man very well. The coffin was held low to the ground, within the reach of the shorter pallbearers, one of whom was the man's son. The hearse looked nothing like a normal carriage for the dead; it was nothing but a low-flying orange cloud, which, surprisingly, was able to hold the weight of the coffin.  
Krillin, Gohan, Yamcha, Piccolo, Vegeta, and Tien stepped back from the coffin and the cloud, which had expanded to fit the extra weight. Vegeta, dressed in a jumpsuit of purest black and armor with black covering and yellow-gold outlines, stepped forward.   
"This man was known by many names. Goku, Kakarott, and Super-Saiya-jin, among them; however, he never used them for personal gain. He only fought to protect the ones he counted as friends…  
"Including me."   
Vegeta raised his hand over his head and formed a ball of purest white, looking almost identical to the moon that had been destroyed years before. He and Gohan did not look at it as Vegeta sent the ball flying slowly toward the cloud. The coffin burst into flames of purest white, which caught on the reflective surface of the Dragon Ball, shining through the coffin, gleaming brightly. The Nimbus cloud rose off the ground and moved swiftly off of Kami's lookout and began to slowly circle the half-dome of Kami's residence. The attendants and guests piled into Bulma's airbus, which took them all back down to the ground below. Chi-chi remained with the pallbearers, comforted by Gohan. Tien, Chaozu, and Yamcha flew away silently, while Piccolo simply put his hand on Gohan's head and looked at him, and then flew away. Vegeta left with Bulma in tow, while Krillin helped Master Roshi down to Kame House. Chi-chi and Gohan remained behind to grieve.  
  
  
Chapter Three  
  
  
  
Gero looked over his reports. Six computer screens displayed figures and diagrams. He looked over all of them. The first contained his prototype human-android creation, labeled # 19. The next three displayed rotating images of his more powerful creations, androids 16 through 18. On the last two screens, the images shown were completely different from the rest. One showed the plans for the brain transplant of human to Android body. Directions and a program for the surgical robot that would perform the operation were also displayed. The last showed the image of what Gero considered a failure. He had the highest hopes and the biggest disappointment of them all with this particular creation. It was almost fully organic; in fact, it was made up of replicated cells from the strongest listed fighters ever to be seen on Earth or in space; a tiny robot had followed the Z fighters around, collecting blood samples from Vegeta, Piccolo, Goku, and Frieza. However, Cell failed to display the correct amount of power that should be associated with such a combination; Gero only had the technological capacity for so much. If, however, the new creature were to absorb his other creations…  
No. The plan was too risky; the Androids might not be recoverable, and Gero would have a problem on his hands if Cell tried to absorb him. Gero sighed and pressed the 'cancel' button on the screen displaying Cell's form. He then added the finishing touches to the first Android: number 19. He finished the last weld and grafted the skin onto the creature, making the Android complete. He awoke it.  
"Hello, Dr. Gero. My name is 19. I live only to destroy. Everything and anything I can see, I will destroy. Including those others over there."  
"No. You will only destroy Goku. Then I will tell you what to destroy."  
Gero awakened the rest of his androids, except for 16 and Cell, the next day. He brought them together, sporting his new robotic body. He was so certain of his calculations that he didn't bother to check the personalities of the Androids before awakening them.  
One was rebelling against her program. All of the programs were flawed. Dr. Gero never stood a chance.  
  
  
  
Chapter Four  
Six years later  
  
  
"GOHAN! WAKE UP NOW!"  
Gohan slid out of bed and slipped on his clothes. Honestly. What did mothers know? Gohan didn't even have school today… did he? Wait… today was the first day of the World Martial Arts Tournament. Hoping his mother had not been blessed with that memory, he got out of bed and walked into the kitchen, where Chi-chi, his mother, awaited.   
"For goodness sake, Gohan, if you hadn't completed those essays last night, you could have done them today, you know. I told you I was visiting Ox-King today, didn't I?"  
Gohan's heart gave an inner leap as he remembered how he was planning to sneak into the Tenkaichi Budoukai today; the first one since before he was born.  
"No, mother, I didn't forget. I hope you have a safe trip!" He grinned at his mother. "No hanging around Piccolo, no flying, and no training. I promise! G'bye, Mom!"  
Chi-chi smiled at her son as she closed the door and stepped into her air car, a present from Bulma. She glanced into her back seat to make sure that his training clothes, all blue and white, were in the back seat. She chuckled, and then patted herself on the back.  
"He's not going to fight without any clothes!" She said as she drove away.  
  
Meanwhile, Gohan had no intention of letting his absence of clothing get in the way. He ran over to his father's old Dragon Ball shrine, where he had hidden an outfit almost identical to his father's, complete with a sheath for his sword. He changed into his clothes, and then ran (not flew) over to the forest, where Krillin and Vegeta awaited him. Gohan gasped as he saw Vegeta's new set of wheels. A black Porsche with a gold fender revved up its engines as Gohan stepped over to the passenger side window. The window rolled down slowly, and he saw Krillin and Vegeta inside, as well as some chick with blonde hair that was hanging out with Krillin in the back seat. He hopped in the passenger seat and (discreetly) tightened his safety belt. He double- checked it when Vegeta shifted into gear and sped off down the road. Vegeta was driving much less erratically than the last time, and Gohan had a sneaking suspicion that Bulma had been making him practice. Vegeta himself, however, looked much the same as he had six years ago. Krillin, however, was looking totally different; if it weren't for the absence of a nose, Gohan would have never recognized him.  
Krillin had hair.  
The chick next to him winked at Gohan. Gohan didn't notice; he was too busy stammering at Krillin.   
"Uh… Krillin… no offense, or anything, but… how?"  
Krillin grinned and winked at Gohan. "It's all thanks to this beautiful woman here. I didn't think any force on Earth could grow these babies out," Krillin said, pointing at the brown hair that covered his head, "and I was right. It took Namekian force."  
Gohan smiled in understanding.   
"You used the Dragon Balls!"  
"And that's not all. This girl came across me when I was searching for the Dragon Balls, and we just… clicked. And to tell you the truth, I've never met a more perfect woman."  
"Actually, I wasn't always a woman," the chick said. Vegeta spewed out a mouthful of coffee onto the dashboard and Gohan almost choked on the apple he was eating. The girl ignored them. "I used to be an Android, but this guy, instead of using the Dragon Balls for himself, wished for me to be human."  
"Startle me like that again, woman, and you will find out how much pain a human can feel." Vegeta snarled as he wiped the coffee lovingly off of his car. He then smiled. "You do have permission to do that to anyone else, however."   
Gohan chuckled, and then asked, "What's your name?"  
"When I was an Android, my only name was 18. I liked it, so, I kept it."  
"Eighteen, huh? Cool. Hey, Vegeta?"  
"What?"  
"Can I drive for a while?"  
Vegeta looked long and hard at his half Saiya-jin passenger. Then he pulled over, got out, tossed the keys to the 16-year old Gohan, and jumped over the car to the passenger's seat. Gohan jumped out and ran around the car to the driver's seat, put the keys in the ignition, and turned the key. He revved the car, turned on the radio, put it into third, and drove off into the sunrise.  
  
Gohan, Krillin, Vegeta, and 18 arrived thirty minutes before the preliminary tournament challenges. Gohan saw Tien and Chaozu near the registration table and walked over, skipping the long line of weak people ready to sign up. They exchanged greetings, and they all signed up. Tien looked apprehensive at the fact that Vegeta signed up too, but expressed his emotions as nothing more than a grunt. 18 signed up too, to the surprise of everyone (except Krillin). When Gohan questioned her judgment, she smiled and winked at him again. The teenage Gohan blushed and didn't speak for five minutes.  
  
  
  
Chapter Five  
  
A handsome young man with dark, long hair was seen signing up for the Tournament; no one seemed to take the "Pretty Boy" seriously. He signed up under the mysterious name of 17. He wouldn't say anything more.  
The preliminary trials were designed to leave a suitable number of people left for a smaller but fiercer tournament. There were three different preliminary trials, and each fighter was placed randomly into one of the trials. Not counting any minor humans involved (about thirty per trial), here's how it ended up:  
  
  
  
1st trial: Krillin, Mr. Savage, Tao Pai Pai, Kamesennin Mutenroshi (Jackie Chun)  
  
2nd trial: Tien, Vegeta, 17, Yamcha  
  
3rd trial: Chaozu, Gohan, Chibi Trunks, 18  
  
  
The first trial came (obviously) first. Krillin lined up behind Mr. Savage and a disguised Master Roshi. Tao Pai Pai, an old villain from Dragon Ball, saw Krillin, and had a sudden flashback of Krillin's friend Goku beating the tar out of him. Scared stiff, he edged away from the battle, only to be confronted by a waiting Piccolo.  
"I'm in charge of making sure no one quits."  
Tao Pai Pai hurried back.  
The first trial consisted of what looked at first like a tile floor set upon a pedestal in the middle of a stadium. Each of the contestants stepped onto a different tile, and the announcer began the trial.   
Suddenly, each tile became a rectangular block that lifted up and down in place. The object, said the announcer, was to be one of the last two left standing on the pedestal. Krillin stood calmly as the others struggled to regain their footing. Some of them stumbled across Krillin's tile; these unfortunate souls he punted off of the pedestal. The others he ignored. Soon, only the four better than average fighters remained. Tao Pai Pai looked nervously at Krillin, and then jumped off the pedestal by himself. Krillin watched as Roshi and Mr. Satan battled. Mr. Satan overpowered the old man, leaving him and Krillin. Mr. Satan bowed to Krillin, who had done very little but defend his tile.   
Yamcha, Vegeta, Tien, Gohan, Krillin, and 18 were lined up outside the stadium. 18 was the first to greet the new challenger.  
"Hello, brother."  
"I'm surprised to see you here, 18. I would've thought you'd be off somewhere being… well… human. And as for your bald friend… well, he did fine in the prelims, but he will be far outclassed in the future." Android 17 looked utterly confident in his abilities as a fighter.   
"Hey. Are you another robot thing? 'Cause if you are, I sure hope you're still under warranty. I'd hate to have to pay for you after I pound you into a pulp." Vegeta smirked as he challenged the android in his own particular fashion. 17 cast him a cold glance, and then tossed his head in an arrogant manner that almost, but not quite, matched the Prince of the Saiya-jin.   
"Did I hear you right? You think you can challenge me? Expect to be severely disappointed."  
Vegeta said nothing, but grinned even more broadly. Piccolo opened the door to the room of the second trial.  
The second trial seemed to be nothing more than a white room. A very long white room that was completely featureless.  
"The object of the trial is to cross the room. If you make it all the way across, you make it into the tournament.   
"Don't expect it to be easy. If no one finishes, the four who make it the farthest will make it in. If you fall down, you are disqualified. Every minute, the trial will become harder. Ready... GO!"  
The room started shimmering; the gravity in the room became three times normal gravity. Vegeta had already started across the room, as well as Yamcha and Tien, but 17 seemed momentarily disoriented. Before Vegeta could reach the finish line, a military surplus cannon popped up out of nowhere and blasted him off course. The room suddenly erupted into fireworks. Four triple laser cannons opened fire on 17 as he stumbled awkwardly across the room. Vegeta, regaining his composure, smiled and calmly destroyed the cannon in his way. Stealing the idea, he fired several low-power blasts at the floor in front of his opponents, especially 17. The motion detectors reacted and soon a plethora of weapons came up from the floor and opened fire on the disoriented 17. Yamcha and Tien made it past the first turrets just before the gravity doubled to 20x Earth gravity. 17 became even more disoriented; he overcompensated and sent himself flying into the roof. Enraged, he dashed toward the annoying turrets and destroyed them all easily. He finally managed to reach the far end of the room, a dangerous glint in his eyes.   
"What took you so long?" Yamcha taunted the android. Vegeta simply stood there and smirked even more broadly.  
17 said nothing; the rage in the inhuman eyes was indescribable. Even Vegeta backed off warily as 17 stormed out the door.  
  
  
  
Chapter Six  
  
Gohan, 18, and Chaozu were waiting for the third trial to commence. They saw Vegeta walk up, arguing with Bulma.  
"He's half-Saiya-jin! He's shown me power that could surpass mine!"  
"I don't care! People have DIED in this tournament before! I don't care if he's twice as powerful as you are, he's SIX!"  
"Kakarott's son has been fighting since he was little more than a baby! Kakarott himself was a child!"  
"There's no comparison! Goku and Gohan were living on their own for years before they fought seriously! I will not allow MY son to go risking his life like that!"  
"He WILL compete in the trial, at least! He doesn't have to go any further, but he will do SOMETHING!"  
"FINE!"  
"FINE!"  
Bulma stormed away in a huff, leaving a red-faced and panting Vegeta grasping a purple-haired six-year-old by the shoulders. Trunks looked bored, as if this was something that happened everyday. He slouched over behind Gohan, still looking just as bored and a little frightened. Gohan mussed his hair, and Trunks looked up at Gohan with a smile on his face.   
The third trial was an elaborate maze, with gun turrets similar to those in the second trial that popped up whenever someone made a wrong turn. Trunks wandered slowly through the maze, unconcerned; Chaozu was in a constant state of dead panic. He rushed through at top speed, barely surviving the myriad weapons aimed at him. Gohan jogged easily through, using his head to get him onto the right paths. 18 simply walked straight toward the exit, removing any walls that were in her way. Gohan made it first, followed by 18 and a (bored) Trunks. Chaozu made it with seconds to spare, ducking to avoid a taser charge fired from a gun behind him, panting heavily. Trunks patted him on the back (unwittingly sending him flying into a wall) and said, "Good job!"  
Chaozu looked slightly miffed.  
  
The trials had been completed; the tournament was ready to commence. The trial ended up looking like this:  
  
Mr. Satan  
vs.  
Chaozu  
  
Yamcha  
vs.  
Tien  
  
Trunks  
vs.  
Krillin  
  
Vegeta  
vs.  
17  
  
Gohan  
vs.  
18  
  
Vegeta looked delighted that he would be facing the only opponent that could match his arrogance. He also looked pleased that his son was fighting; Bulma was in the stands cheering wildly, realizing that   
a) if you kill someone, you lose; and  
b) Krillin would probably go easy on Trunks.  
Gohan looked apprehensive about fighting a girl. Krillin winked at him and said, "Don't let your guard down. She's stronger than she looks. A lot stronger."  
17 was nowhere to be found. Yamcha, Tien, and Chaozu were joking around; Mr. Satan was talking with the tournament officials; he looked like he was going to bribe someone, but he kept seeing Piccolo everywhere and decided to wait on the bribes.  
Trunks was sitting and talking with his father; Vegeta seemed insanely proud that his son was going to be fighting. The Saiya-jin tradition that the eldest son was fated to kill his father didn't seem to bother Vegeta in the slightest.  
As the contestants lined up for battle, the announcer... well, announced each of their names and credentials.  
"Our first pair of contestants today is the world famous Mr. Satan" (applause) "against Chaozu, an unknown who was a minor member of the Earth Special Forces for a brief period of time. The contestants look primed and ready to go! And there's the bell!  
"Mr. Satan's showing off for the crowd, performing some acrobatics. Chaozu, a mystical albino, has the ability, so it seems, to float above the ground, waiting for an attack in battle position, and... wait! There's the attack! Mr. Satan has launched a blazing offensive against Chaozu! There's the famous Dynamite Kick! But it seems that the challenger will not be defeated that easily! After dodging the first kick, the white stranger seems ready for more! There's a counterattack... oh! Mr. Satan's down! It seems that the new guy is stronger than he looks! And there's the count... Ten! It's final! Mr. Satan, ranked first to win, has been taken down in the first round! What an amazing upset! This looks like it's going to be an exciting tournament this year!"  
Chaozu looked triumphant as he raised his arms in a triumphant gesture. He swaggered out of the arena to the applause of the audience. This caused many confused looks from the Z fighters, who had never seen Chaozu swagger before.  
Yamcha and Tien walked out to the center of the arena, and bowed to each other. They assumed fighting positions.  
"I've wanted to see who was stronger ever since I got killed by Nappa and you got wasted by that little plant-bug thing."  
"Ha! I never got the chance to show that brute what real fighting was!"  
The two warriors calmly stared each other down.  
The starting bell rung.  
Immediately, the two sprung into action. Yamcha flew backward and began charging up an energy bomb; Tien began his Four Winds technique. Yamcha threw the energy ball toward Tien's bodies; all four dodged. Confused, Yamcha's energy ball hung in space for a second. Yamcha made it go straight toward one of Tien's bodies; then he broke off contact and initiated his own split form technique as Tien attacked him from three sides. Yamcha's two forms were outnumbered by Tien's four; each Yamcha was fighting two Tiens. One Yamcha got lucky and knocked a Tien down to the ground, drawing wild applause from the bewildered audience. As the six blurry forms began to move faster, the battle moved all over the arena. Yamcha gained the upper hand after his energy ball distracted Tien enough for him to score a couple of really good hits. Tien's forms merged back into one; now Tien was the one who was outnumbered. Yamcha, however, re-formed with his double. Then he dove toward Tien; Tien was expecting an attack and threw his own punch at Yamcha. Yamcha, however, was not there; he sped around behind Tien in a flash and gave Tien a hard kick in the kidneys. Tien flew forward, recovering, and Yamcha followed up with a ki blast. Tien dodged this, drawing more applause. Yamcha went on the offensive again, but didn't use his super speed this time; he attacked Tien directly. Tien began to get the upper hand and drove Yamcha back toward the ground from twenty feet above the floor. Tien was about to land a finishing punch when Yamcha pointed over Tien's shoulder. Tien wasn't about to fall for that trick...   
Yamcha's double pounded Tien down to the ground. Yamcha had used the second of Tien's distraction to use the split-form again and hide his double. Tien hurtled toward the ground, followed by another energy blast from Yamcha; this time, he connected, knocking Tien completely out. The audience applauded wildly and Yamcha took his bows, and then limped out of the ring. The paramedics surrounded Tien, carting him off on a stretcher. Gohan gave Yamcha a high-five as he passed him.  
The next battle was anyone's guess. No one knew how much of Vegeta's power little Trunks had achieved; no one knew how he would match up with Krillin. Krillin looked nervously at Vegeta, who grinned at him as if expecting a good show. Krillin gulped; if he beat up the kid that was Vegeta's son, Vegeta might return the favor...  
Oh, well, Krillin thought, it can't be that bad. Vegeta won't kill you for following the rules, but he'll probably kill you if he thinks you're insulting his son. Alright, here goes. Krillin walked to the center of the arena. The applause was abated somewhat by laughter as his opponent entered the arena; he could almost hear the people saying, "It's the bald freak versus the little kid! What a riot!" He decided not to listen to the audience. Who knows, Trunks might even be stronger than I am.  
Krillin bowed to Trunks; Trunks returned the bow. Krillin started his fighting stance, but Trunks simply put his fists forward. Krillin decided to wait for Trunks to attack. He didn't have long to wait before Trunks attacked him with an excitement that reminded Krillin of Goku. The memories were painful, so Krillin concentrated on the grinning Trunks, who was matching Krillin stride for stride. Krillin got serious and began to fight full-on; as he did this, he could have sworn he heard a woman's voice screaming at the top of her lungs, "DON'T YOU DARE HURT HIM, KRILLIN!"  
Krillin and Trunks fought for a while; Trunks seemed to be stronger, but Krillin used his battle experience to get punches in on Trunks. Trunks, infuriated, attempted to simply punch Krillin off the battlefield, but Krillin was never there. Finally, Krillin landed a light blow to Trunk's neck, directly on a nerve point; Trunks suddenly grew dizzy and slumped to the ground in a faint. Krillin supposed he should have been proud, but somehow the knowledge that he could defeat a six-year-old didn't seem to give him much cause for celebration. He supposed he had better watch out for Bulma in the future.  
Vegeta finished his warm-up exercises. He walked slowly toward the center of he room, his eyes on the android facing him. He grinned as the adrenaline began rushing through his veins; his opponent, however, glared coldly at him. He watched the android carefully, looking for weaknesses. He decided to test the android's strength first, so as soon as the bell rung, Vegeta fired a moderately powerful ki blast at his opponent. Vegeta was close enough to the android that 17 had no choice but to counter the blast with one of his own. Vegeta watched with mild amusement as the android began to counter the blast, but instead of matching it, the android simply threw it aside. This surprised the Saiya-jin somewhat, but he didn't let it affect his fighting. He launched himself full force at the android. 17 easily countered or dodged all of Vegeta's attacks. Vegeta became somewhat worried. He knew that he was the strongest fighter in the universe, blah blah blah, so how could this punk be stronger blah blah blah? Vegeta pushed those thoughts from his mind; he barely dodged as 17 threw a punch of his own. 17 flew back, grinning.  
"You're laughable. If I wasn't trying to have fun, I could beat you in an instant. You should give up before you get hurt."  
"Why you little... where'd you pick up that attitude? Were you watching me sometime?" Vegeta countered. 17 didn't appreciate Vegeta's wit.  
"This arena is too small. Don't you agree?"  
"Yes, quite. Why don't you kill that half of the audience so that we can have some elbow room?"  
The audience to which Vegeta referred immediately scrambled for the exits, deciding that watching the tournament on television would be safer.  
"Oh, I don't know... why not that half?"  
"For one, the referees are over there, and my wife, for another."  
"Alright then..."  
"Oh, wait, stepping out of the ring is a disqualification..."  
"Oh, well. Back to work."  
Vegeta and 17 launched into another battle. The arena shuddered from the force of their blows. Vegeta forced the offensive on 17, who had to back up, until he caught Vegeta's leg and threw him into the ground. Vegeta got up again; and again, and again, but each time, he was defeated. He lay on the ground a third time, cursing his opponent. He let his rage flow freely, hoping that he'd get another burst of power. He reached into his armor, and drew out his trump card.  
A senzu bean.  
He popped it into his mouth and stepped back to the far edge of the arena. His wounds became healed and his armor swelled out from the rapid muscle growth that happens to every Saiya-jin when he is defeated and survives. He smiled at 17, who merely shrugged the effects off and began pounding Vegeta again. Vegeta put up a lot more of a fight this time; 17 almost had trouble knocking him into the ground. Vegeta spat out a loose molar and hit the ground with his fists.  
"I don't care about winning! I just want to beat him!" Vegeta screamed with rage. At that moment, something strange happened.  
Vegeta's eyes, to anyone who was watching closely, turned an odd shade of green. His hair began flashing yellow. And soon, Super Saiya-jin Vegeta stood, looking triumphant, before the amazed stands. 17 had time for a look of mild surprise before Vegeta landed a hard punch to his stomach. He began analyzing Vegeta's new body. It was much, much stronger...  
17 turned his power up to full and began the duel with Vegeta. Vegeta was much, much stronger, and faster, too... it took every ounce of 17's strength to keep up with the exhilarated warrior. 17, however, was soon able to regain the upper hand of the battle and equalized the odds by kicking Vegeta in the face. Vegeta soon recovered and fought furiously, as if his very life depended on the outcome of this battle. 17 suffered three severe blows and was knocked to the ground himself. His eyes now flashed with rage. The audience waited. Was another transformation in store?  
17 didn't go Super Saiya-jin, but he did get up and fly toward Vegeta. He looked at him very closely and decided that he would need every ounce of his strength. Vegeta began his final assault, throwing punches and kicks too fast for the audience to follow. 17 blocked and dodged them just as fast. Vegeta flew backwards, and then sped full-force towards 17. This was the opportunity 17 had been waiting for. As soon as Vegeta reached 17, the android sidestepped the Saiya-jin and used the warrior's momentum to send him speeding into an empty set of stands, which collapsed around him. Vegeta rose, infuriated, and ready to continue. As he was about to do so, however, the referee blew his whistle and declared 17 to be the winner. Vegeta was out of bounds.  
Vegeta's hair and eyes returned to their original state; he simply couldn't believe what he had just heard. He turned and blew open the entire half of the stadium that had been evacuated, and flew off. He was joined later by his son and wife, who kept their distance. Bulma moved cautiously, tenderly forward, but Vegeta suddenly blasted a nearby mountain range into dust. Bulma jumped back, startled, but Trunks ran up to his father and stared him right in the face.  
"How come you're so mad, Dad? It's all right. It's no big deal. And if you want to know something really unfair, I'll tell you."  
"What's that?"  
"I got beated by that short guy with no nose."  
Vegeta, despite his rage, his anger, his humiliation, and sheer fury, could not help laughing at his son. He put his hand on Trunks' head, and the two looked deep into each other's eyes. Vegeta felt a swelling of pride in the fact that his son was able to show so much self-control. He turned to face Bulma.  
"Come. Kakarott's son is next."  
  
Chapter Seven  
  
Gohan was nervous. He'd seen 17 in action, and even Vegeta as a Super-Saiya-jin couldn't beat him; and 18 was her sister! No to mention that she was a... well... girl! Gohan would feel about as comfortable fighting her as he would Master Roshi, now in his 80's! He ranted at the wall for a while, then got up and removed the weighted clothing he had inherited from his father and took a shower. He decided to use the small, elf-like shoes Piccolo had shown him how to make, which weighed almost nothing. He got out of the showers in the locker room and put a towel around his waist. He was walking to his locker when he saw Mr. Satan, the former martial arts world champion. He was crying on a bench near the exit. He tried to leave, but he suddenly heard the voice of what had to be one fine chick.  
"Oh, it's all right, father. You've enjoyed ten years of being the champion; it's time to step aside."  
"What!?! The world martial arts champion, step down? I'd rather take my chances with that green freak with the turban."  
Somewhere, Piccolo sneezed.  
"Father, please calm down. These people were part of the Earth Special Forces team, remember? They're almost inhuman! The fact that you even made it past the trials proves that you're the strongest person in the world!"  
Gohan decided not to eavesdrop anymore and tried to sneak out the door. Mr. Satan's daughter heard him passing.  
"Who's there?"  
Gohan turned around, grinning, and waved at the two.  
"Uh, hi! What's your name?"  
The girl blushed. Gohan suddenly remembered he wasn't wearing anything but a towel. Mr. Satan completely ignored the two of them, as he was totally engrossed in his self-pity.  
"Videl. What's yours?"  
"Gohan. Um, if you don't mind my asking, why are you in the locker room? There aren't supposed to be girls in here."  
"Oh! I, um, well... sorry! Gotta go! Bye!"  
Videl turned on her heel and zoomed out of the room. Gohan was left there with the oblivious Mr. Satan. He turned, confused, moved over to his locker, and changed into his clothes, omitting his weighted shirt and wristbands. He then cleared his head of all thoughts related to girls (namely Videl) and stepped out of the lockers into the battle arena.  
Gohan walked toward the edge of the ring. He passed Piccolo on the way and grinned at him, and Piccolo returned with a small smile. Gohan confidently walked to the center of the ring and bowed to his opponent, the former android 18. She bowed back and smiled at him. Gohan, determined to ignore her femininity, smiled back and assumed a fighting stance. The whistle blew.   
18 attacked. Gohan was surprised at her speed, but he managed to block most of her punches and kicks. He counterattacked; she stopped all of his attacks with ease. He was amazed at her power. She landed a hard punch to his stomach, and Gohan was forced to step back and recover. He began calculating what the best way to defeat the former android would be. He stood up, faced the android, and powered up to full power. Exhilarated by the feeling of power he got, he attacked android 18. 18 had a much harder time of it than before; she managed to block four of Gohan's punches for every one he got in. She counterattacked and knocked Gohan back. She powered up this time and lit into Gohan. Now Gohan was the one having trouble again. She kneed him in the stomach and clenched her fists together to knock him to the ground. Another crater formed in the already pockmarked arena floor. Gohan got up, determined. He began to power up again, and he decided to go all out. He powered himself up as much as possible. He accessed the hidden regions of power within his body and used his Saiya-jin blood to power himself up to the max. In other words, he went Super Saiya-jin.   
This caused an uproar of excitement from the stands, and the audience was wild with excitement (Bulma even managed to get "the Wave" started). Gohan smiled in ecstasy as his father's legacy coursed through his veins. 18 looked apprehensive. She launched another offensive, but Gohan now held the upper hand. He blocked and countered every attack. He carefully picked and chose his attacks, careful not to damage her, but beating her all the same. Gohan finally decided that the battle was over; he punched her in the stomach and karate chopped her onto the ground. Just before she hit, Gohan met her with his knee; she doubled up in pain and rolled out of the boundaries of the ring. The whistle blew, and Gohan let his hair fall back down into it's normal shade of black. He took in the cheers of the crowd and happily bowed to 18, who had recovered.   
"No hard feelings?" He asked.  
"None." She replied.  
After the battle, the tournament was over for the day. He went looking for Videl, hoping she had been watching, but she was nowhere to be found.  
  
  
Chapter Eight  
  
  
The tournament was to continue in two days, allowing time for recovery. Gohan found Videl prying her father off of the judges, who refused to be bribed. She looked extremely nervous, as if she was afraid someone would see her. Gohan walked right up to her and tapped her on the shoulder. She jumped (literally) eight feet into the air and would have landed on her father, if Gohan hadn't caught her. He grinned at her, and she smiled shyly back.  
The rest, as they say, is history.  
Gohan and Videl met Krillin, 18, Bulma, Vegeta, and Trunks for dinner that evening. Krillin was dressed in his favorite white suit with a red tie; Gohan was dressed in a white, short- sleeved shirt with navy blue slacks, and Vegeta surprised everyone by changing out of his armor into a three-piece suit with a deep blue sports coat, black slacks, and a shiny yellow-gold shirt underneath. Bulma, Videl, and 18 had gone clothes shopping earlier that day, taking the time to get to know each other. Bulma and Videl had a hard time giving 18 a fashion sense.   
"After all, I'm only four years old," she explained, telling her history of being an android to her excited girlfriends.   
The only problem arose when the three women showed up for dinner, fully made up, and Bulma showed the bill to Vegeta. He looked like he was going to burst a very familiar vein in his forehead. Krillin took a look, and almost fainted. Gohan was shocked at the number of figures. In the end, Vegeta called up Bulma's father, who sent over one of Bulma's credit cards to pay off the debt. Bulma finally managed to calm Vegeta down by offering to let him drive them all to dinner. Vegeta immediately brightened up, and after dropping Trunks off at a babysitter's house, Vegeta led them over to a brand-new Suburban. Everyone piled in, and Vegeta warned them to put on their seat belts before he pulled out of the parking lot. Vegeta did better than usual in his driving; he only ran two cars off the road who cut him off, and he only broadsided the one car that ran a red light. He showed his insurance to the cops, and after seeing his ID, they backed off slowly and easily. Vegeta seemed to have a reputation among the police force. Gohan noticed that the car wasn't even dented; Bulma explained that she had triple reinforced the outside with full titanium armor. Krillin supressed a small chuckle, which was lucky, because it probably would have landed him in the ER.   
Finally, they reached their destination: a high class restaurant named Entanucci's. 18 made a scene by ordering a little of everything; it seemed that she had never tasted Italian food before. Everyone else ordered simply; Gohan and Krillin ordered a pizza to share, while Vegeta ordered a plate of lasagna. He tried to order a beer, but Bulma nudged him hard and glowered at him. With a grunt, he ordered a bottle of wine instead. Gohan brightened up, but Bulma looked at him and Videl and said, "You can't have any; you're too young." Gohan swore under his breath. 18 tried to order single glasses of different beverages, but Bulma said, "You can't either. You are too."   
After dinner, Krillin surprised them all by pointing out a spot that had a full view of the city on one side, the tournament arena on the other, and the mountains in the background. Vegeta surprised them all by driving perfectly, and Gohan came up with a great idea to entertain everyone. He summoned up some of his ki; not much, but just enough to produce a faint glow. He charged up an energy disk; the brightness of the energy was strong for a second, then dimmed as Gohan shifted his power level. He used different bursts of energy to produce swirling colors in the table-sized disk, which swirled majestically within the confines of the disk. Then, with a swift motion too fast for anyone to follow, he broke up the energy disk into tiny sparks of light, which glowed an indescribable mixture of colors. The sparks showered down around them; the girls recoiled at first, but the sparks were no more forceful than a slight breeze blowing across their faces. Gohan let the last of the sparks hang in the air after all the others were gone; then he whisked it away far into the night.  
They all applauded.  
  
  
  
Chapter Nine  
  
  
Chaozu was easily taken down by Yamcha. Krillin then had to take on Gohan. Krillin only fought half-heartedly; he knew that Gohan was much stronger than he was. Eventually, Gohan picked Krillin up and made a great show of beating him up and tossing him out of the ring. After the match, Gohan apologized profusely, and Krillin accepted (Gohan had pulled his punches). 17 was bypassed by the tournament for that round.   
Only two rounds remained. 17 was to fight Yamcha, and the winner of that match would fight   
Gohan. Yamcha managed to get in three punches before the android picked him up by his hair (which he had grown out again) and spun him around and around. Finally, 17 let go, and Yamcha flew out of the ring (and out of the stadium, and out of the city, etc.).  
Finally, it was time for 17 and Gohan to battle. Another two day break was in place, and 17 approached Gohan the day before the battle.  
"You'd better quit. My sister is a lot weaker than I am. I'd suggest you forfeit the match, before you find yourself seriously hurt."  
"Are you kidding? Do you have any idea what I went through to get here?" That wasn't an entirely true statement; Gohan would probably have to go through hell and back with his mother after she found out where he was, but he figured it was close enough.  
"I don't care. I'm doing this for your own good; there just isn't anyone in the universe stronger than I am. I can't be blamed for not warning you."  
With that, android 17 walked away, out of sight. Gohan waited until he couldn't see the android anymore, and then rushed over to the nearest vidphone.  
"Hello, operator? Yes, I'd like to place a call... Yes, long distance... okay, I'll hold..."  
One hundred miles away, the woman known as Chi-chi was just getting home from her visit to Ox-king's mountain. She pulled her air car into her driveway and walked into the house.  
"Gohan? I'm home..." She was cut off by the sound of the phone ringing. She walked over and picked it up, and then pressed the button that would allow her to see her caller.  
"Hi, Mom! What's up?"  
"Gohan! Where are you? You're not fighting, are you?"  
"Um... not right now..."  
"Good. Where exactly are you?"  
"I'm at the Tenkaichi Boudokai. My last fight is tomorrow, and I'm tied for first!"  
"WHAT!?!?! YOU SAID YOU WEREN'T FIGHTING!!!!!"  
"Mom, it's okay! I haven't clenched my fists in two years! I needed to get away for a while! Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that my match will be televised and I wanted you to watch me..."  
The rest of Chi-chi's ranting has been omitted, to protect the reader.  
That night, Bulma asked Gohan for a favor.  
"I want to go out with Vegeta tonight, to straighten out a business deal, and we can't take Trunks. I was wondering if you could babysit...?"  
"Sure, Bulma. Could I bring Videl along?"  
"Well... All right. But don't give Trunks any bad ideas!"  
"Don't worry, we won't. I'll take good care of him."  
"Gee, thanks!"  
Gohan showed up, ready to restrain Vegeta's son, if need be. As it turned out, Trunks took more after his grandmother than anyone else; he was strong, but also very polite. Gohan did have to keep him from stealing all the cookies, but the evening went otherwise normally. As a matter of fact, Trunks seemed to take a strong liking to the older Saiya-jin. Trunks began to imitate Gohan, even down to tying his short hair into a ponytail (which looked pretty ridiculous). Eventually, it was time for bed. After Trunks was asleep, Gohan offered to carry him into his room. Videl agreed, but she began worrying about Gohan's intentions. This was only the second date... Videl decided to keep the door open, in case she needed to bolt. She got out her can of mace and her police nightstick. She knew it wouldn't do much, but she wasn't that slow, so she figured if she got him with the mace in the eyes and shoved the nightstick down his throat, it might distract him enough to let her escape...  
  
  
Chapter Ten  
  
  
Chi-chi decided that as long as her son was already comitted, she'd better cheer him on; she arrived twenty minutes before the match started and gave Gohan a quick lecture that turned his face completely red. To make it worse, Videl walked in halfway through the "what would your father say" part, which was actually good for Chi-chi, since they both knew that Goku would not only defend Gohan, but probably enter the tournament himself. Gohan glowed red. Videl, however, instead of laughing, took Chi-chi aside and began befriending her, giving Gohan a chance to cool down. He snuck off to the arena. Just as he was almost out of sight, he heard his mother.  
"Just a minute, young man. We're going to talk after this match. And... well.. YOU'D BETTER WIN."  
Gohan breathed easier and walked off toward the ring.  
The android classified as 17 walked into the arena. He thought of this match, which would be his final triumph. No matter that the other androids had become renegades; he had dealt with all of them except for 18, and she was now a human. He decided not to bother with her. She was no longer a threat. He breathed deeply. Finally, I will have my revenge on Goku. If I cannot destroy him, I will destroy his only living heir, and then his wife. It is a good thing I programmed my identity into both androids 17 and 20. I knew that rebellion was possible.  
Dr. Gero, in his youthful android body, laughed quietly, and moved into the ring.  
Gohan stepped into the arena, which had been tripled in size from the last one. He saw his opponent smiling. Gohan frowned. Smiling opponents were a bad thing; especially ones that could defeat Super Saiya-jin Vegeta. Gohan powered up to Super Saiya-jin before the match started. 17 looked at him, half-impressed. No problem, 17 thought.  
The bell rang.  
17 charged forward, expecting an immediate kill. Gohan knocked his punch aside and countered with a knee to 17's face, but 17 was quick enough to counter it. The battle quickly heated up, and it was clear that neither opponent was holding back.  
The battle lasted for hours without either fighter gaining the upper hand. Finally, Gohan's exhaustion got the better of him. 17 took quick advantage of this. Within seconds, Gohan had been smashed into the ground, his ribs broken, bleeding from the corner of his mouth. 17 hovered over Gohan's body.  
"Finally, I have my revenge. At last, a battle that my enemy cannot escape from. Do you know who I am, boy?" Gohan groaned. "I am Dr. Gero, the leader of the former Red Ribbon Army. The army that your father singlehandedly destroyed!"  
Gohan moaned inaudibly, barely conscious.  
"I was going to use this android to destroy your father, but since a disease has already done that for me, I shall take my revenge on you. I sincerely hope that you are able to meet your father wherever you are going..."  
Dr. Gero, in android 17's body, powered up an energy blast. He was about to unleash his full power on the boy when something small struck him from behind.  
"What the-!" Trunks had landed a flying kick into the small of the android's back.  
"You stay away from him! You've already won!"  
"Be quiet, child. I shall deal with you later; no doubt you are the son of that insolent fool, Vegeta. I shall most likely have to kill you before you make too much trouble. I have been preparing for this event for years. I made sure that Gohan would not back out on this match, because I offered to let hiim back down. Gohan's pride is too great for that."  
"What?!? I don't care about any of... whatever you just said! I said leave him alone!"  
Trunks launched another attack at Dr. Gero, but this one never connected. Trunks was now laying on the floor next to Gohan; he tried to get up, but he fainted. Once again, Dr. Gero powered up an energy blast, to take them both to the next dimension. The blast was deflected in midair by another blast, this one from Vegeta.  
"Now what?!?"  
"Hey, you rusty bucket of bolts! Stay away from my son!" A full Super Saiya-jin, Vegeta stood before Dr. Gero's aggravated robot body, which had fooled everyone. Dr. Gero was beginning to become frustrated. He threw a small energy blast at Vegeta, who dodged it effortlessly. Too late, Vegeta realized where he was; the energy blast was headed straight for the stands... and exactly where Bulma, Chi-chi, Videl, Ox-king, and everyone else was sitting.he heard an explosion, but he couldn't see through the dust.  
"YOU COWARD! YOU DARE TO CHALLENGE ME BY ATTACKING - NOT ONLY MY SON - BUT MY WIFE AS WELL!!!!" Vegeta seethed with anger. The orange glow around his body glowed even brighter. "YOU... WILL... PAY... NOW!!!!"   
Vegeta's body suddenly expanded; he became a gigantic, hulking mass of muscle and pure energy. Dr. Gero sensed an immediate surge in Vegeta's power before the device that measured his enemies' strength malfunctioned.   
"It does not matter to me how much uglier you look! You will never be a match for me!" With that, Dr. Gero attacked. Vegeta had not time for humoring his foe; he deftly disarmed the doctor and flew down to his son.  
"Trunks. Get up. I know you can."  
"Father... I... failed... my friend..." And he fainted again.  
Gohan grunted and reached into his tunic. He pulled out a tiny pinch of powder.  
"Darn... so much for my senzu bean. I guess he got it with one of those kicks..."  
"Shut up, you're bleeding. If he's hurt my wife..."  
Vegeta got up and turned to face the armless android. "About that payment we discussed earlier... I'm afraid that cash won't do. I'm going to have to take it out of your weak metal skin!"  
Once again, Dr. Gero felt the helpless sensation of fighting a stronger foe... but this time, he had no more duplicates.  
  
  
Chapter Eleven  
  
Gohan took a full month to recover from his injuries, and Vegeta took a couple of years to get over the ego trip. Videl, Chi-chi, and Bulma took turns watching Gohan and Trunks; gohan was in full traction for a week. Gohan had a relapse when Videl hugged him, hard. I should've known she'd be even more powerful than her dad...   
Vegeta stood guard, and whenever anyone asked him about what went on inside the half- empty arena that day, all he would say was, "I finally beat Kakarott." That was the most anyone could get out of him.  
Krillin, and 18, who had been sitting with Bulma, had protected their party from Dr. Gero's pwer blast. Trunks gave 18 a big hug, and she blushed red. Bulma, as always, had remained unscathed; except for her hair, that is. She was now wearing it to imitate Vegeta's SSJ2 hair, and it kept getting stuck in doorways. When asked, Bulma stated that she needed half a gallon of hair gel each day to keep it up. When asked how much it took Vegeta, she said it was, "always like that."  
As for Krillin and 18, they had a baby girl ten months later, and they named her Eighteen. (which was destined to get some weird looks: "is that how many brothers and sisters you have?") Gohan wound up marrying Videl. They had four healthy babies. Their eldest was named Bulma, then Goku, then Vegeta, then Gohan. (Bulma Jr. was slated for a tough life... Elder sister to three Super Saiya-jin... but, she didn't know that yet.)  
As for the other Androids? 19 was elected Head of Internal Security in the Chinese cabinet, while 16 became a Canadian forest ranger who killed any hunters he found.  
And so, they all lived happily ever after... or, at least as long as anyone can in the world of the Dragon Balls!  
  
  
  
The End 


End file.
